Blood treatment system having pulsatile blood intake

Abstract

A blood treatment system includes (i) a blood pump including a first blood pump chamber operable with a first inlet valve and a first outlet valve, and a second blood pump chamber operable with a second inlet valve and a second outlet valve; (ii) an arterial blood line; (iii) a dialyzer placed in fluid communication with the arterial blood line, wherein the blood pump is provided along the arterial blood line upstream of the dialyzer; and (iv) a venous blood line extending downstream from the dialyzer. The system also includes a processor configured to sequence the first and second blood pump chambers so as to achieve a pulsatile pattern of filling the first and second blood pump chambers and an at least substantially constant pattern of discharging blood from the first and second blood pump chambers to the dialyzer.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A blood treatment system comprising:
 a blood pump including:
 a first blood pump chamber operable with a first inlet valve and a first outlet valve, and 
 a second blood pump chamber operable with a second inlet valve and a second outlet valve; 
 
 an arterial blood line; 
 a dialyzer placed in fluid communication with the arterial blood line, wherein the blood pump is provided along the arterial blood line upstream of the dialyzer; 
 a venous blood line extending downstream from the dialyzer; and 
 a processor configured to sequence the first and second blood pump chambers so as to achieve a pulsatile pattern of filling the first and second blood pump chambers completely with blood and an at least substantially constant pattern of discharging blood from the first and second blood pump chambers to the dialyzer. 
 
     
     
       2. The blood treatment system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to cause a delay between when the first or second blood pump chamber becomes completely full of blood and when that first or second blood pump chamber begins to discharge blood to the dialyzer. 
     
     
       3. The blood treatment system of  claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the other of the first or second blood pump chambers to continue discharging blood to the dialyzer during the delay. 
     
     
       4. The blood treatment system of  claim 3 , wherein the processor is configured to thereafter reverse the roles of the first and second blood pump chambers so that the other of the first or second blood pump chambers is delayed between when it becomes completely full of blood and when it begins to discharge blood to the dialyzer, while the original blood pump chamber is caused to continue discharging blood to the dialyzer during the delay. 
     
     
       5. The blood treatment system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first blood pump chamber, the first inlet valve, the first outlet valve, the second blood pump chamber, the second inlet valve, or the second outlet valve is operated pneumatically. 
     
     
       6. The blood treatment system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the first or second blood pump chamber to become completely full of blood and the other of the first or second blood pump chamber during a same stroke to stop discharging blood to the dialyzer before becoming completely empty. 
     
     
       7. The blood treatment system of  claim 6 , wherein the processor is configured to thereafter reverse the roles of the first and second blood pump chambers so that the other of the first or second blood pump chambers becomes completely full of blood while the original blood pump chamber is caused during a same stroke to stop discharging blood to the dialyzer before becoming completely empty. 
     
     
       8. The blood treatment system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to sequence the first and second blood pump chambers using the first and second inlet and outlet valves. 
     
     
       9. The blood treatment system of  claim 1 , wherein the blood includes heparin pumped by a heparin pump separate from the blood pump. 
     
     
       10. A blood treatment system comprising:
 a blood pump including:
 a first blood pump chamber operable with a first inlet valve and a first outlet valve, the first blood pump chamber including a first blood pump diaphragm, and 
 a second blood pump chamber operable with a second inlet valve and a second outlet valve, the second blood pump chamber including a second blood pump diaphragm; 
 
 an arterial blood line; 
 a venous blood line; 
 a dialyzer placed in fluid communication with the arterial and venous blood lines; and 
 a processor configured to move the first and second blood pump diaphragms so as to achieve a pulsatile pattern of filling the first and second blood pump chambers completely with blood and an at least substantially constant pattern of discharging blood from the first and second blood pump chambers. 
 
     
     
       11. The blood treatment system of  claim 10 , wherein the processor is configured to cause a delay between when the first or second blood pump diaphragm reaches its end of fill position and when that first or second blood pump diaphragm is moved to discharge blood. 
     
     
       12. The blood treatment system of  claim 11 , wherein the end of fill position includes an abutment of a first or second blood pump chamber wall position. 
     
     
       13. The blood treatment system of  claim 11 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the other of the first or second blood pump diaphragms to continue to move to discharge blood to the dialyzer during the delay. 
     
     
       14. The blood treatment system of  claim 13 , wherein the processor is configured to thereafter reverse the roles of the first and second blood pump diaphragms so that the other of the first or second blood pump diaphragms is delayed between when it reaches its end of fill position and when it is moved to discharge blood to the dialyzer, while the original blood pump diaphragm continues to move to discharge blood during the delay. 
     
     
       15. The blood treatment system of  claim 10 , wherein at least one of the first blood pump diaphragm, the first inlet valve, the first outlet valve, the second blood pump diaphragm, the second inlet valve, or the second outlet valve is moved pneumatically. 
     
     
       16. The blood treatment system of  claim 10 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the first or second blood pump diaphragm to be moved to reach its end of fill position and the other of the first or second blood pump diaphragm to be stopped before reaching its end of discharge position. 
     
     
       17. The blood treatment system of  claim 16 , wherein the processor is configured to thereafter reverse the roles of the first and second blood pump chambers so that the other of the first or second blood pump diaphragms is moved to reach its end of fill position, while the original blood pump diaphragm is stopped before reaching its end of discharge position. 
     
     
       18. The blood treatment system of  claim 10 , wherein the blood includes heparin pumped by a heparin pump separate from the blood pump. 
     
     
       19. A blood treatment system comprising:
 a blood pump including:
 a first blood pump chamber operable with a first inlet valve and a first outlet valve, the first blood pump chamber including a first blood pump diaphragm, and 
 a second blood pump chamber operable with a second inlet valve and a second outlet valve, the second blood pump chamber including a second blood pump diaphragm; 
 
 an arterial blood line; 
 a venous blood line; 
 a dialyzer placed in fluid communication with the arterial and venous blood lines; and 
 a processor configured to move the first or second blood pump diaphragm so as to perform a pulsatile pattern of blood filling in which the first or second blood pump chamber is filled completely with blood, and wherein the blood filling movement is performed faster than the other of the first or second blood pump diaphragm is moved to perform a blood discharge, and wherein the blood discharge has a constant pattern of discharging blood. 
 
     
     
       20. The blood treatment system of  claim 19 , wherein the first inlet valve includes a first inlet valve diaphragm, the first outlet valve includes a first outlet valve diaphragm, the second inlet valve includes a second inlet valve diaphragm, and the second outlet valve includes a second outlet valve diaphragm, and wherein the processor is configured to (i) place the inlet valve diaphragms under negative pressure and the outlet valve diaphragms under positive pressure for the blood fill and (ii) place the inlet valve diaphragms under positive pressure and the outlet valve diaphragms under negative pressure for the blood discharge. 
     
     
       21. The blood treatment system of  claim 19 , wherein movement of the first or second blood pump diaphragm performing the blood fill is stopped sooner than the movement of the other of the first or second blood pump diaphragm performing the blood discharge. 
     
     
       22. The blood treatment system of  claim 21 , wherein movement of the other of the first or second blood pump diaphragm performing the blood discharge is stopped prior to a complete blood discharge. 
     
     
       23. The blood treatment system of  claim 19 , wherein the blood includes heparin pumped by a heparin pump separate from the blood pump.